Paicho Cooperative Store Construction Delayed

GULU – Construction of Paicho Central Kal Growers’ Cooperative Society Limited (PCKGCS) store has delayed due to inadequate funds.

Construction of the store by Stanhope General Merchandise, should have started in October 2020, with funds from the Agriculture Cluster Development Project (ACDP).

The government gave Shs 140 million for constructing the store and the cooperative was to pay Shs 69 million, so that the store worth Shs 209 million shillings is built.

ACDP started in January 2012 as a partnership project between Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industries and Fisheries (MAAIF) and the World Bank with finances from International Development Bank (IDA).

The project is being implemented in 57 districts across Uganda to raise on-farm productivity and marketable volumes of selected agricultural commodities such as; beans, rice, cassava, coffee and maize.

Under the project, a benefitting cooperative is supposed to pay 33% of cost of building a store.

However, Opiro Simon, the Chairperson of PCKGCS, said members of the cooperative planned for a big store that would cost Shs 240 million, which affected the start of construction. He said their request to the ministry to add more funds for them was turned down.

Opiro said, the cooperative members made their contribution by clearing the construction site, mining sand, buying bricks and gravel, which are at the construction site, but lack the cash needed to execute the store plan.

“The store was estimated to cost Shs 240 million, but our budget is only 210 million, we had already signed a contract and we thought the ministry would add for us some money, but they said they work on tight budgets,” Opiro said.

Following this hitch, the cooperative was advised to take the matter to Gulu District Commercial Officer (DCO) for advice.

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“When we wrote to the DCO for help, we were advised to reduce the size of the store, commensurate with the money we have,” Opiro said, adding that, “I was told that the reviewed plan will soon be printed out, before the contractor can start work.”

Ocen Alfred, the Gulu DCO said the cooperative lacks the full 33% needed for the store to be constructed according to the plan and is relying on the money given by the government.

“The 33% is a requirement that they must have. And since they don’t have it and the project has reached this level, there is no need for the money to go back, but it is already a problem.”

He said the cooperative is working with the district engineer to make the necessary adjustments so that a store, which is worth the amount of money they have, is built,” Ocen said.

PCKGCS was formed in 1964. It has 187 members all dealing in oil seed production and other grains.

The cooperative is struggling with a lack of infrastructure, which has forced the members to hold meetings under a tree.

The only structural building is a dilapidated store that was built decades back and was ravaged during the Lord’s Resistance Army [LRA] war.

Currently, the cooperative hires a store for keeping their produce.

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Cooperatives Are Key In Modern Farming Methods

AMURU – After the Lord Resistance Army (LRA) and Uganda People’s Defense Forces’ (UPDF) insurgency, the biting poverty at the time forced those who had returned from the Internally Displaced Camps (IDPs) to join hands and form Lamogi Cooperative Society Limited (LCSL) where they have been able to learn modern farming methods as well as other skills.

The two decades war in the region displaced more that 1.5 million people into IDPs; tens of thousands lost their lives, and properties were destroyed.

However, upon joining the farmers society, they have learnt better savings skills and modern farming methods according to Okeny Justine, the chairperson of the cooperative.

Since the population was returning to ruined homes, the only solution was to come together in a cooperative so that we can help ourselves, noted Okeny.

“We could not help each other at that time, but we sat and the only solution was to form a group that later saw us having a cooperative in place; and to date we are able to sort out our problems,” he said.

The cooperative has 100 groups, with each group having 30 members.

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To date in many homes, people are able to have basics in life ranging from daily meals, medical care, and school fees since most of them have leant better farming methods.

Nyakabale Joyce, one of the beneficiaries says she is able to produce what she takes at the cooperative and also have surplus for domestic consumption.

“Modern farming has been key, many stakeholders reached out to us, taught us how to grow both commercial crops and food crops so that as we look at selling what we produce, our families are also catered for in terms of food production,” said Nyakabale

Olanya Patrick, a member of the cooperative, has been able to acquire better farming practices and also to engage in farming as a business.

“Our eyes have been opened, we have been able to tap grants that have helped us to open land on large scale thus helping in large crop production,” he said.

We have come together and put in place a revolving fund which enables members to save their money and borrow whenever in need at a low interest rate.

Komakech Simon Peter, the Amuru District Agricultural Officer (DAO), said since the members are under an organized group, accessing them has been easy and they have been availed with agriculture inputs that has boosted their production.

Market accessibility has also been an added advantage, they can sell in bulk, get storage facilities and markets have been eased as well.

“I must tell you that dealing with a cooperative is easier than working as an individual, there are government projects that target majorly organized groups in terms of grants and they have been able to benefit,” he said.

In the areas of saving, they have received training from microfinance intuitions, together with district commercial officers.

They have taken them through financial literacy hence boosting their saving culture.

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NUSAF Implementation Under Investigations

GULU – Gulu District Local Government (GDLG) has subjected all implementation of the different projects under the Northern Uganda Social Action Fund (NUSAF) to investigations.

The implementation of the third phase of the program was a five-year World Bank funded project being implemented in the 66 districts across Northern Uganda which ended in June this year.

The program was launched in the early 2000 to help the districts across the region catch up with the rest of Uganda which then in the late 1990 enjoyed economic growth rates between 5 to 7 percent.

The different interventions aimed at fighting poverty using a combination of four factors by building the infrastructures, income generating activities, conflict management and institutional development.

However, NUSAF suffered a tainted image as a result of allegations of corruption where the government officials and the service providers were accused of embezzlement and doing sub-standard work.

With widespread complaints of accountability, the government was skeptical whether to continue with the program but Soroti’s success story became a guarantee for the second and the third phases.

At least 1,795 different projects in the implementing districts of the third phase of the program were targeted in 71,161 households according to the 2020 report by Operation Wealth Creation (OWC).

Gulu District, among other implementing districts, received Shs 9.6 billion for a total of 343 different projects reportedly implemented in the district from 2016 to June 2021.

However, as the program phased off a month ago, some of the projects which received funding had stalled and this drew concerns from the new district leaders.

Among the projects is the community access road of Shs 58 million of Rwot Obilo Health Centre III to Atiaba village and the institutional greening at Zion Nursery and Primary School worth Shs 22.1 million.

With various reports of alleged mismanagement of funds and shoddy work, the District Executive Committee (DEC) recently summoned the technocrats to respond to these allegations.

The Engineering team which was then assigned with the task of approval of the technical works in the implementation of the projects denied the approval of some of the projects but failed to name them.

Opio Ateker Christopher, the District Chairman instructed the Internal Auditor and Chief Finance Officer (CFO) to produce the audit report of the different projects, a matter that was protested by the technocrats.

Okech Goretti, the Community Development Officer (CDO) who doubles as the focal point person says the new projects had achieved their intended objectives and that there was no need for the investigations.

However, at Zion Nursery and Primary School, the fund meant for the institutional greening was diverted to fencing of the school, tree planting with a smaller portion of the compound beautified with flowers.

Okot Peter, the Chairperson Zion Nursery and Primary School Institutional Greening Project told theCooperator in an interview that the diversion of the project followed pressure from the technocrats.

Though he declined to provide more details, Opige Samuel, the secretary of the group revealed that the diversion had reduced the wage allowance of the group members.

He explained that each of the 68 members was to get Shs 82,000 paid at the end of the project but ended up with only Shs 56,000 while 15 percent was remitted to the bank as their revolving fund.

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Okia Collin, the Local Councilor II of Atyaba Parish in Bungatira sub-county commended the district leaders for instituting the investigations.

He revealed that Shs 16 million of the funds were meant for the wage allowances which was reduced to less than Shs 6 million, the variation he says needs audit and investigations.

Ongwech Balington P’ Olweny, the Gulu District Secretary Community Services blamed the incident on lack of coordination between the technocrats and the elected leaders.

“There was inflation of budgets and you could clearly see that money has gone into the wrong hands” Olweny alleged.

Preliminary investigations amounted to the arrest of two technocrats in the district and three other group members whose identities were not disclosed.

Twongyeirwe Justus, the Officer in charge of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) at Gulu Central Police Station confirmed the arrest but declined to name the suspects.

He noted that the police were yet to open up a general inquiry file to commence the investigations of the alleged mismanagement of funds and corruption into the projects.

The third phase of NUSAF’s implementation was placed directly to contribute to the World Bank strategy of reducing poverty and to share prosperity in the northern districts.

The funds were divided into the four major components of labor-intensive public works and disaster risk financing which was allocated $ 61 million, livelihood investment support of $ 43.50 Million, Safe net mechanisms and project management $ 20.50 million, strengthening of transparency, accountability and anti-corruption was allocated $ 5 million.

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